Rayna Cruz
Rayna CruzCW Listings: Week 15 February Listings is a recurring character and primary antagonist in the seventh season of . She first appears in a flashforward featured in Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take. History Not much is known about Rayna's history except that long ago shamans from an unknown place cast a spell on Rayna, endowing her with powerful gifts and abilities that would allow her to hunt vampires. She was also bestowed with the Phoenix Stone and The Phoenix Sword which when used together allowed her to "kill" any vampire. At some point in the mid-late 19th century she began hunting the Heretics along with Julian and Lily. She chased them across Europe for decades at some point branding Beau with an X shaped mark and killing Julian. Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series Season Seven In Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take, three years from now, Rayna appears in a flashforward hunting Stefan and Damon. In Never Let Me Go, three years from now, Rayna shot Tony in the neck and Caroline was shot with the stake while been unseen. In Mommie Dearest, three years from now, Rayna takes Damon hostage after shooting him with multiple vervain darts. In Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, three years from now, Damon has been captured and chained up in a Dallas news station. He originally believes his captor to be his mother, Lily Salvatore. However, it was later revealed that she was only a hallucination due to the werewolf toxin in his system. After telling him that his mother has been dead for years, Rayna kicks him in the face, knocking Damon out. In Things We Lost in the Fire, Nora receives a card with a red "X" on it and she tells Bonnie that it is Rayna's warning. She tells her that she'll be coming for Stefan, Julian, Beau and anyone else who has been stabbed with her sword. In the flashforward, it is revealed that Matt is working with her. In Postcards from the Edge, Personality TBA Physical Appearance TBA Powers and Abilities Enhanced Strength: She showcased this when she easily managed to hold Bonnie still, with one hand and even with her old age. She also subdued and fought older and more powerful vampires like Julian, rendering them trapped inside the Phoenix Stone. Immunity to Magic: Magic has no direct effect on Rayna. Longevity: Rayna ages at a slower rate and hence has an extended lifespan. Immortality: Though not much is known about this ability yet, it seems that should Rayna be killed, her body will magically be restored. Despite whatever age she was at the time of her death, her bodies physical age will be reversed, returning her to a more youthful appearance. This was first demonstrated when Enzo stabbed her in the neck, and hours later her body became engulfed in flames, only for her to rise once more in both restored youth and perfect health. Akin to a Phoenix rising from the ashes, after her death Rayna is engulfed in flames and is reborn from the ashes to her physical prime. Appearances Season Seven *''Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take'' (Flashforward) *''Never Let Me Go'' (Unseen/''Flashforward) *Age of Innocence'' (Mentioned) *''Live Through This'' (Mentioned) *''Mommie Dearest'' (Unseen/Flashforward) *''Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me'' (Flashforward) *''Cold as Ice (Mentioned) *Things We Lost in the Fire'' (Mentioned) *''Postcards from the Edge'' *''This Woman's Work'' *''Moonlight on the Bayou'' *''I Would for You'' *''7x16'' https://twitter.com/IAmLAHuff/status/691676419093585920 Name *'Rayna' is either a Bulgarian form of "Regina", meaning "queen" in Latin, or a feminine form of "Rayno", meaning "happy, willing" in Slavic. *'Cruz' is Spanish and means "cross". Trivia *Her original casting call name was "Hannah". *It is highly likely that her name, Rayna is a reference to the video games BloodRayne which ironically are about a vampire hunter named Rayne. *She is a dangerous vampire hunter who returns to the world of the living after being taken out by her enemies, and “fierce, driven, smart and confident – a deadly legend who literally cannot rest until her vengeance is complete.” *Seemingly, she is no ordinary hunter. *According to her casting sides (which tend to be false and loosely based on the characters actual story), she was being chased by Julian in 1860 and Julian kills her father and she vows to kill Julian with presumably the phoenix stone sword. And she also vows to kill everyone Julian knows and she is in a situation where Damon traps her but she has Stefan captured underwater struggling to breathe. *Her age puts her physical strength around that of Katherine Pierce and Nadia Petrova. It can be presumed that she is very dangerous. *Based on the actress's background and her last name, it's very likely she is of Filipina descent. *As Mikael was feared the world over as The Vampire Who Hunts Vampires, or The Hunter, Rayna is feared as The Huntress. They are both immensely powerful vampire hunters, as Mikael was an Original Vampire, and Rayna was spelled by shamans to be a powerful vampire hunter, who Nora describes as unstoppable. *According to Nora Hildegard, The Phoenix Sword was custom made just for her. *Like the Brotherhood of the Five, Rayna was spelled by witches to be a powerful vampire hunter, giving her increased strength and powers, as well as the urge to kill vampires. **Unlike the Five, when Rayna is killed, her body is engulfed in flames and Rayna's youth is restored, like a phoenix rising from the ashes after its death. *The process of Rayna's rebirth is the opposite of an Original Vampire's death. When an Original dies, their body becomes lifeless when it dies and is consumed by fire. Rayna, however, dies, is engulfed in fire, then reverts to a younger appearance and rises, going from lifeless to alive from the flames. Gallery 7X08-113-Rayna.jpg References See also Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Vampire Hunters Category:Vampires Category:Supernatural Category:Antagonists Category:The Vampire Diaries Season Seven Characters Category:Recurring Characters Category:Major Antagonists